Texas Farkle
by Belle Goode
Summary: A/U: When a friend returns after being gone for almost ten years, she's definitely NOT the same girl that she was. Struggling to grasp on to some sort of stability, she tries to navigate her new life and new home. Until a chance encounter on a subway train brings out a side of Farkle that none of the gang had ever seen. Texas Farkle. (Summary isn't great. Give it a chance.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! Back again! Another AU here. Really hope you guys enjoy it! :)**

 **Don't own anything outside of my idea.**

* * *

"Farkle, son, we need to talk to you."

Staring, he looked at his dad and the woman beside him. Suddenly he was glad that Lucas was beside him and had come over today. "Okay?"

Sitting back in his seat, Stewart nodded. "Lucas."

He nodded back. "Sir. Do I need to leave?"

Thinking about it, he shook his head. "No. It's okay. This is probably going to affect you, too."

Turning to look at his friend, he wasn't sure what to think now. "What's going on?"

Letting out his breath softly, he gestured for the younger males to sit. They did. "Do you remember your mom's friend, Jessa?"

Thinking back he nodded. "Vaguely."

"Do you remember her daughter, Veronica?"

Nodding, he thought back. "Yeah. We used to play together before they moved away."

"Something has happened, and...well she's going to stay with us for a little while."

His heart fell. That meant his mom's friend had died. "Does mom know?"

He nodded. "She does."

"What happened?"

Clearing his throat, he hesitated. "Well that's where it gets a little sticky." then he turned to the woman. She was shorter, and fit. Her mousy brown hair pulled back in a bun, her eyes, soft. "This is Benita Smith. She's a social worker with the state of Illinois. I'm going to let her explain a few things that you need to understand."

"Okay?"

"Hi, Farkle. What I was explaining to your dad, here, is that Veronica has been through some bad stuff while she's been in Illinois."

"What kind of stuff?"

"She...she's not going to be the same girl that you remember. She was a few months outside of seven when she moved. Like you, she's almost seventeen now. But unlike you, she doesn't have a network of friends. In fact, she doesn't have any friends. I would be surprised if she remembers you at all, so don't be alarmed or discouraged if she doesn't. She's been abused for the last few years by her step father. She doesn't go by Veronica any more, she goes by Rocky, and she will let you know real quick just how she feels about it, should you make that mistake. She's hard. To say she's rough around the edges is a bit of an understatement. New York isn't going to be that big of a difference from Chicago, but being around a tight knit family like yours is going to be a huge adjustment. She hasn't had much for a long time, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if she resists."

Trying to digest everything, he was thoughtful. He remembered when they had been younger. A time that was even before the Halloween party that led him to his ladies. She couldn't have been more than a year older than he was but they'd always had so much fun. They'd grown up together, their moms being closer friends then than they had been in a long while.

"She's going to need a friend."

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he nodded. "I'll remind her who she was." then he looked at his dad. "When will she get here?"

"Well, probably tonight. She's here in New York now, but her case worker had to stop and explain a few things to us first before she showed up."

Standing, Benita nodded. "It was nice talking to you, Mister Minkus. I will make sure we don't show up too late tonight. I'll make sure she's fed as well."

Nodding, he watched as she left out the door. "Are you okay with this, Farkle?"

Looking at his dad, he smiled sadly. "I want to help her." and he looked at his best friend. "Come on. Let's work on our Science homework."

* * *

She looked around the apartment, hugging her bag closer to her chest. There were so many nice things in here. She didn't belong here. Her eyes went to the four people standing there in the living room.

"Rocky, this is Stewart, Jennifer and Farkle, who you may not remember, but you used to come over here and play with Farkle, and this is his best friend…" and she stared at him. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name earlier, son."

"Lucas. Lucas Friar, ma'am." he said sticking his hand out.

She noticed his southern drawl and stared at him as he stepped closer to the caseworker.

Farkle noticed his old friend, brace herself as if he was going to attack her at any moment. His heart hurt. Lucas would no sooner hurt a dog as he would a person, much less a girl at that. Clearing his throat, he got her attention softly. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Staring, she didn't answer yes or no.

"She's really quiet sometimes. Give her some time to warm up. She can be a little shy."

Nodding, he smiled at her. "That's okay. Quiet isn't a bad thing."

"Alright, well, I'm going to get out of here, I've got to get back to Chicago." then she turned toward the girl. "Rocky, you're safe here. Okay? These people are really nice, and Jennifer was your mom's best friend when you guys lived here. You may not remember, but she was. I'm also only a phone call away."

Watching after the woman, her breath quickened. Turning, she tried not to seem too apprehensive, but it was hard not to when the door closed behind her. Turning to stare at the people in front of her, she tried to stay impassive but from the look on the one kid's face, she had failed.

"Do you want to sit?" Jennifer said. "Or if you'd like, Farkle can show you the room that will be yours."

She didn't answer as she stared on.

Softening her gaze, she smiled gently. "You've probably had a long day today. Here, sweetheart, why don't you show her, her room."

Nodding, he smiled. Taking a tentative step closer, he held his hand out. "Come on." and he waited until she took a step. It was hard not to see her trembling. She followed him slowly into the bedroom.

It was huge in comparison to her old room, which only further made her feel out of place. There was a nicely made bed on the far wall and a dresser beside what she assumed was a closet door. Beside the bed was a small table with a white cloth over it and a small touch lamp.

"Um...when you need, the bathroom is right here and don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. My room is right next to the bathroom and mom and dad's is at the end of the hall. They have their own bathroom, so we can share this one."

She kept her eyes on the two younger male's standing there, seemingly waiting for an answer.

Trying to break the awkward silence, he smiled once more and nodded. "Well, I'll leave the door open and let you get settled. Let me know if you need anything. It is nice to see you again. Even if you don't remember."

Making his way to his room with his friend in tow, he sat on the bed.

"You alright, man?"

"She looks at me like I'm a stranger."

"Well, maybe you are, to her." Lucas tried to rationalize. "I know I am."

"Maybe." he muttered. "I don't like it. We used to be inseparable. What has she gone through that she doesn't remember me? Worse yet, what has she gone through that she's afraid of everything?"

"The woman did say she was abused by her step father."

"Yeah, but...how abused was she, that she doesn't remember…" and he shook his head. "I don't know."

* * *

When Jennifer peeked in on her right before she laid down, she was curled into a ball on the bed, asleep on top of the covers, holding her bag to her chest for dear life, just as she had been when she walked through the front door. Not able to help herself, she made her way through the entry way, pulled the small afghan folded on the bottom of the bed and covered her with it. "I'm glad you're here, Rocky." and she made her way back to her own bed, lucky she had a husband who was understanding enough in her need to check on the younger girl.

Opening the bedroom door, she smiled at him.

"How is she?" he murmured softly as she made her way to their bathroom inside the bedroom, to get changed.

"She's ... cautious." she answered. Getting changed quickly, she climbed into the sheets as he held the blanket out of her way so she could lay down.

"She'll adjust." and he kissed the top of her head.

Relaxing into his arms, she let out a deep breath. "I hope so."

Not making a move as she'd heard the woman walk through the door, she held her breath. It was impossible not to cry when she covered her up and whispered what she did. She almost wished she could remember this family.

But so much had happened since then. She vaguely remembered New York, but it was so long ago. So long. Way before Lake Michigan. Way before Steve. Way before her life went to hell in a handbasket.

Closing her eyes, she fell asleep after a few minutes, surprisingly taken back to a time that she thought time forgot.

 _She was six years old. "Come on, Farkie! Let's go! We're going to be late!"_

 _They were going to go see Flubber at the twenty-five cent theater next door to their apartment complex. They had seen it a dozen times already this summer, but she just loved the movie._

 _Laughing, he grabbed his long sleeve tee, since it was always cold in the theater. "Bye, mom!"_

" _Bye, honey!" he heard her call out to him._

 _It was that afternoon when they got home that her mom had dropped the bomb on her. They were moving._

 _She screamed at her mom that she would never forgive her for making that decision without her. Suddenly she was hugging her best friend for the last time. Tears were flowing down her face as her mom told her it was time to go._

"No. Mama, please! It's not fair. I don't wanna go!"

He'd heard her crying when he went to the bathroom. He was stepping up to her when her eyes flew open.

She gasped in breath and backed herself up against the headboard.

"Rocky wait, it's just me. Look." and he touched the bedside light on.

In an instinct reaction, she reached out and grabbed her backpack, pulling it to her chest.

"I...I wasn't going to take anything of yours. I heard you crying."

Untrusting eyes stared back at him.

"I don't want to hurt you. Once upon a time, you knew that."

Staring at him, and unsure of why she was even entertaining the thought, though already knowing the answer, she scooted back a bit, sitting straighter as he started to leave. "Did...did I used to call you Farkie?"

Her voice came out so small sounding. Stopping, he was unable to control the smile that lit up his face. He nodded. "Yeah."

"You...you used to call me…"

"Vee Vee." he answered quietly for her, as she was clearly having a hard time remembering.

Staring at him, she didn't know what else to say.

Taking the cue, he lightly waved and made his way back to the door. "G'night, Rocky. I'm sorry your mom passed away but I'm glad you're here."

Not answering, she stared at him, as his shadow disappeared down the hallway. Laying back, she wondered why in the world he stopped, but a small part of her wanted to remember. Benita had told her she would be starting at a new school.

She wasn't ready to start at a new school. She didn't make friends easily and yeah, school was always easy for her, had been. But when you have no one to connect with, it gets lonely. She wasn't ready for this.

* * *

 **Please review! Can't wait to see if you guys like it or not.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the follows and reviews! I'm so glad everyone is loving so far. Definitely hope I don't disappoint at all! Don't own anything outside of my idea. Without further ado...**

* * *

She wasn't ready for this. Standing outside the building she stopped at the doors. Pausing, he turned. "Come on. You can do this."

She couldn't do this. She stared in his eyes.

"Look, you have every class I do. You'll be with me, all day. Even lunch."

She bit her bottom lip. Suddenly she saw three girls and two other guys walk up beside her.

"Farkle!"

Smiling, his face lit up. "Ladies! I'd like to introduce you to Rocky. Rocky, this is Maya and Riley, you already met Lucas, and this is Zay and his girlfriend, Smackle."

She couldn't do this. She nodded, but her breath quickened.

He watched the color drain from her face. "Rocky?"

Backing into the door, she turned and ran.

"Rocky, wait!" and he glanced at Lucas. "Fill them in. I've got to go get her." and he followed.

She had run nearly half a mile when she finally slowed. Her chest was heaving. She almost screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder, until she saw who it was. "I can't do it."

"Yes, you can."

She plead with him silently, but finally nodded.

Putting his hand out to her, he was surprised when she took it. "Come on. I'll be with you every step of the way." and they made their way back to the daunting building.

Making her way into the first classroom, she took a seat behind her only friend.

"Class, we have a new student today. Everyone, this is Veronica Lovell."

Not raising his hand, he cleared his throat. "She goes by Rocky."

"I'm sorry, I didn't have a nickname listed on my sheet. Rocky, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Remaining quiet, she shook her head softly.

Speaking up once again, he nodded. "She's kind of shy."

"Well, that's alright. I'm sure we'll be learning more about you as the year goes along." and then turning, the teacher started on the lesson plan.

The rest of the day went much the same way as she tried not to depend on her only friend. The other kids had tried to be friendly, but she seemed to keep them all at arm's length, all of them at one point or another, cornering Farkle to ask him what was up.

After explaining it all, they all understood, but all of them could tell that he didn't like it one bit. Maya was quiet as they all made their way to Topanga's.

Lucas and Riley were talking with Smackle and Zay about a date night and she remained a little to herself.

"What's up? You seem like you have something on your mind." Smackle observed.

Letting her breath out through her nose, she shook her head.

"Peaches?" Riley pushed.

Leaning forward, she put her elbows on the table. "Have you noticed how protective Farkle is over the new girl?"

"Well, they were friends a long time ago." Lucas defended quietly. "He said last night that they used to be really close. And, apparently she's been through the ringer by her step-dad, before her mom died."

"Yeah, see I'm wondering if...I don't know. What if she hurts him?" she said, finally getting it out.

"Then we help him." Lucas answered, solemnly.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, she made her way into the dining room.

"Hey, Rocky! You want some spaghetti, hon? I know it's your favorite. Or well, it used to be. I don't know so much now..."

Unable to stop her stomach from grumbling, she nodded softly. The woman remembered it was her favorite? Steve hated spaghetti. He hated anything, really. Anything she liked. Stopping the misting from her eyes, she smiled and said 'thanks' for the plate.

Sitting it down at the table, she ate slowly, trying to remember the last time she'd had it. Before she realized it, she was staring at an empty plate, and three sets of eyes were all on her. "S...sorry. I...I didn't mean…" and she got up and ran to her bedroom.

Setting his fork down, Farkle looked at his mom. "I'll go talk to her."

Nodding, she watched him disappear around the hallway wall and looked at her husband. "What did Jessa let her go through?"

Reaching up, Stewart grabbed his wife's hand. "She's here now."

"I know, but what has she been through?"

He squeezed gently. Looking toward the room he wondered how his son was doing.

Knocking gently, he didn't wait for an answer. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, a single tear, rolling down her face. "Vee Vee?"

Looking up with eyes of absolute innocence, she didn't respond.

"You know you're safe here."

Finally breaking the silence, she took a deep breath. "I haven't been safe in a long time. I'm not the same girl you knew. I barely remember you and that's only because I dreamed about us going to some theater that was next door, last night."

Nodding, he smiled. "I'd forgotten about that. We watched Flubber a thousand times that summer."

"And then...I left."

Walking toward the bed and sitting on the side of it, he didn't touch her. Sighing he turned. "You really didn't have a whole lot of say in that matter."

Thoughtful, she nodded. "No. I didn't. That's when my world changed." she whispered.

"Changed how?"

"Changed in ways you can't imagine." she admitted sadly. "At times, I wish I could just tell someone, but then I know, no one would understand."

"You could try me, sometime."

Looking into his eyes, she shook her head. Biting her lip, she looked away as another tear brimmed. "I can't tell anyone."

Not sure why he did it, he reached out, tucked her hair behind her ear and turned her face toward his. "I would never let anything happen to you. You may not remember, but I do. At one time, we told each other everything. At one time, you weren't afraid of me, my parents, this place. At one time, you were the only person I would talk to, and visa versa." and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "I know you're in there, Vee Vee. Even if you don't." he said, softly. Leaning in, he kissed her forehead and stood up. Not saying another word, he disappeared through the door and left her there to think about everything.

She didn't _want_ to think about everything. He didn't understand. He didn't know what it was like. He had two amazing parents that loved him more than anything in this world. They never forgot his birthday. They never substituted one thing for another because one of them didn't like it. They never intentionally made him feel like he wasn't a part of the family.

Reaching out and grabbing her backpack, she held it to her chest, curled up and fell asleep again, on top of the covers.

* * *

Getting up to go to the bathroom, he stopped before going to bed. She was crying in her sleep again. Pleading with her mom again. But this time, it wasn't a frustration. It was a cry for help.

"Please don't let him hurt me again. Mommy, please, don't make me go."

She sounded as if she was pleading for her life. Stepping close and turning the lamp on this time as to not freak her out, he noticed the tears rolling down her face.

"No. Please….please don't...I...I'm sorry! I won't..."

Grabbing her shoulder gently, he shook softly. "Vee Vee."

Nothing.

"Vee Vee." he tried again. "Wake up."

Her breath was coming in gasps now. "No...I'm sorry. I promise, I won't…" and she came awake with a gasp. Sitting straight up, she stared into eyes, close to her own.

"Rocky?" he said gently, not calling her by his name for her.

Not stopping herself, she hugged him close and cried on his shoulder. Something she hadn't done in a long time. "It wasn't fair. I didn't do anything."

"Shhhh. It's alright, Vee Vee. It was just a dream."

"No." she argued. "I didn't do it. Someone else did! It wasn't me, Farkie. It wasn't me. And it hurt. It hurt so bad. I didn't do it."

She was so broken. She had held this in for so long, he wondered how long it had been since she had talked to...anyone. And dear Lord, what had she been through? Rocking her slowly, he held her until her tears dried.

Yawning, she laid back. "I'm sorry."

Taken aback, he rubbed her back gently as she had turned on her side, away from him. "What on Earth for?"

"Being me." she whispered, before finally falling asleep.

He walked back to his bedroom, not sure how he felt or how _to_ feel. She'd opened up to him, and told him something that he'd no sooner expected, nor asked. He had a feeling though that this was merely the tip of the iceberg. He wondered what his future was going to hold, but he knew now, in this moment, that his world, would revolve around her forever.

Waking up the next morning, she made her way to the table for breakfast after getting a shower.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"

Blinking, she shrugged, not answering directly.

Farkle appeared out of the corner of her eye.

"Good morning, honey. How was your night?"

Smiling, he kissed his mom on the cheek. "Good."

"I heard you get up last night. Or go to bed. I'm not sure which."

Rocky stared at him, scared to death that he would tell his mom about her nightmares, until he laughed.

"Got up to go to the bathroom. Fell asleep on the toilet."

Smiling gingerly, she shook her head while putting bowls down on the table, full of oatmeal. "You are your father's son." and she leaned in, kissing him on the forehead. Then looking over at the girl beside him, she lifted her chin. "I know you're not too big a fan of oatmeal, but it's his favorite."

Shaking her head, she smiled herself. "It smells good." she said quietly. Making their way toward school once again, the day seemed to go a little easier. She still didn't talk to anyone, but she tried to engage them as opposed to not doing anything.

Everyone seemed really nice, but she still didn't trust anyone. It was different, and she wasn't sure she liked everyone being nice to her. A female voice rang from behind her. "Farkle, you want to come to Topanga's with us?"

Turning, he looked at Rocky. "What do you think? You want to go?"

Speaking for the first time around all of his other friends, she shrugged. "It's okay." she whispered. "You go. I'll see you later."

Studying her closely, he asked her, "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Do you know how to get back to the apartment from here?"

She nodded again.

Finally conceding, he nodded himself. "Alright. I won't be too long."

"Have fun."

He heard the underlying meaning in her statement that went unsaid. The added 'the kind of fun you had before I came into the picture' that she was thinking, even though she didn't say it.

Turning, she didn't give him a chance to argue. Making her way into the subway, she set down, once more, holding her bag to her chest. Almost to her stop, she heard a male voice.

"Hey, girl! You alone?"

Not wanting to answer yes or no, she simply squeezed her pack to herself. She was surrounded. There were four guys standing around her, probably only a few years older. She wouldn't scream. Her vision narrowed. She was going to do this, and she was going to do it honest.

Standing up, she found herself face to face with one guy. "It shouldn't matter if I'm alone. I am here and you are going to respect me."

The oldest looking one of the group, laughed. "You wish."

Her eyes closed and it went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Again, thank you for the follows and reviews! Sorry I'm a day late updating, been kinda crazy lately. Hope you guys are still enjoying my O/C. Next chapter we get to see Texas Farkle in action! Hope i do him justice!**

 **Don't own anything outside of my idea. Without further ado...**

* * *

Opening solid lids, she got her wits about her and realized she was still on the train. Her bag was on the floor of the car, and she lifted her body off the seats she was laid on, paying dearly for it, with every inch she raised up.

What time was it? She glanced at her watch. Shit. It was already five! Trying to figure out what station she was coming up to, she listened intently. To her own surprise, she was almost back to where she should have gotten off anyway, the first time. Standing stiffly, she grabbed the pole, holding her pack to her chest.

Rummaging through the bag, she found the small treasure she held so dear and took a soft breath. It was still there. Nothing else in that pack mattered.

Making her way out, on shaky legs, she got to the apartment that she lived at now. Using the key, she was surprised at how easily it turned, until she opened the door and found everyone, home and staring at her.

She went into apology mode instantly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Where have you been, sweetie? We thought the worst had happened." Jennifer's soft voice floated to her.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head softly. "I...I got lost. I didn't get off at the right stop. And then, I got back on the wrong train and…"

She lied. Farkle could tell instantly she was lying. His mom, on the other hand, either couldn't...or wouldn't. He chose not to say anything.

"Farkle, you should have…"

"No, please, it's not his fault. I told him to go with his friends. I assured him I knew where I was going..."

Watching how quickly she was jumping to his defense, Jennifer eyed her husband. He nodded. Stepping a bit closer, she went to reach out when she noticed the girl flinch slightly. Stopping, she smiled. "It's alright, Rocky. We just wanted to make sure you were safe and something bad hadn't happened."

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, she nodded. "I...I'm okay. I'm sorry for losing my way. I...I didn't mean…"

"It's really okay, sweetie. Why don't you go ahead and wash up. It's almost dinner time."

Nodding, she made her way quickly down the hallway, not arguing. Staring after her, uncertainty laced his expression. Giving her a couple of moments he followed.

Knocking on the door, Farkle took a soft noise as an invitation. Opening the entrance, he stopped and stared.

She hadn't been ready. Her shirt was half up and she was looking in the mirror at her ribs in the reflection. Truth was, she hadn't even heard him knock, and the noise she'd made was from the pain she was in. She noticed him standing behind her and turned around, dropping her shirt and backing up.

Unable to stop himself, he made his way quickly, causing her to back up against the wall, with a soft thud. Trying to keep his anger under control as to not freak her out even more, he stopped. "What happened?"

"Nothing." she whispered. "It's fine."

"It's not fine. What happened?" he repeated.

"I told you! Nothing."

"Your entire side is black and blue. Did this happen on the subway?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine." she argued feebly.

"You're not fine! I should go get my mom and dad right now…" and he paused as a tear brimmed her bottom lid.

"Please, don't tell anyone. I've been way worse than this before, more times than I can count. It'll be sore for a few days but then it'll be like it never happened. Please."

Closing his eyes sadly, he frowned. "Vee Vee…"

"Please." she whispered one last time.

Taking a breath through his nose and letting it out, he studied her. "Where are you hurt?"

"That's what I was looking at."

"You don't know?"

Biting her lip, debating whether or not to tell him, she hesitated.

He stood there, patiently, watching a million emotions run across her face, from distrust, to apprehension to absolute fear.

Finally taking a short breath, she let it out softly. "They hit me in the back of the head."

"They?"

"Four guys."

"Four against one. Nice."

She inhaled shakily.

"What hurts?"

"My side, my hip and my left calf is really tender."

Well, he wasn't going to ask her to pull her pants down for her hip, but her ribs looked really tender the first time. And she could pull her pant leg up to see her calf. "Let's start with your side. Are you willing to let me at least look at it?"

Hesitating again, she finally nodded. Pulling up her shirt up to her bra but no further, he could see, she was black and blue, all the way down her ribs, half way down her stomach. Then he noticed just how thin she really was, under the layers she used to cover the fact. Afraid to touch her, he refrained, but he didn't like the way the discoloration wrapped all the way around her side. Letting her shirt down slowly, she bent over and pulled her pant leg up. Her calf was red and looked painful as hell. He hadn't noticed her limp. "Does it hurt bad?"

She shrugged.

"Not one for complaining are you?"

Sad eyes met his. "He doesn't like it." and she stopped, realizing what she'd said and how it had just come out. Seeing something in his eyes, she turned away and wrapped her arms around herself to try and stop the chill that had set in.

Sure she wasn't expecting what he did, he stepped closer yet, silently, pulling her to him in a hug that he wondered if he needed more than she did. "Vee Vee, you're safe here."

Stewart peeked into the bedroom hearing the last thing his son had said to the girl. Clearing his throat and knocking lightly, he made his way into the bedroom. He could see she'd been crying and was trying desperately to conceal the fact, now. Leaned against the foot of the bed, he didn't come any closer. "He's right. This is a safe place. Even if you don't realize that now. We will never make you uncomfortable intentionally. Feel free to make this place your own. If you're hungry, grab something to eat. If you're thirsty, it's at your disposal. If you want something sweet, to watch something on the television...anything."

Her nodding, he wondered if she actually understood what he was saying and believed him, or if she was telling him what she thought he wanted to hear. He had a pretty good idea, but he was determined to make sure she knew, before it was all said and done, that she was going to be okay.

* * *

Making her way to meet her doting husband in bed, she poked a head in on her son, smiling at him asleep, left arm and leg hung half off the mattress, pillow over his head and blanket half on.

Opening the door to Rocky's room was an entirely different story. She was restless and her breathing seemed very labored. Not knowing about what had taken place on the subway, she went into the room thinking it was from the nightmare.

Sitting on the side of the bed, she heard her talking in her sleep. "Mom...please don't let him do this to me." and she looked as if she was shielding herself. "Where are you, Farkie?" and a tear streamed down her face, from the corner of her eye to her hairline.

Leaning forward and clicking the lamp on, she smoothed the hair from the girl's face. This definitely was _not_ the girl she remembered from years gone by. It was almost fitting with the name change. Veronica was long gone. Rocky was the girl she was now. A girl that had suffered greatly, by the hands of her step father, and the lack of love by her own mother. A girl that was, as the social worker had explained, hard and rough around the edges. "Rocky? Sweetheart, wake up. You're having a nightmare." she said in soothing tones.

Moaning was her response to the voice.

"Rocky? You're okay, baby. You're just having a bad dream. Wake up."

Trying to come from the depths of her dream state, she struggled to understand what she was hearing. The voice, soft and almost...melodious, traveled through her consciousness, making her suddenly aware, there was someone there.

Gasping softly, wide eyes stared at her. "Rocky?"

She blinked. "Aunt JJ?" she sputtered, remembering instantaneously that she had called her that when she was much, much younger.

That was a name she hadn't heard in years. Instantly the girls expression turned serious.

"Sorry. I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean...it's been a long time and I saw you and…"

"Rocky, stop. You're okay. It's alright." and she smiled sweetly. "It's been a long time since I was called 'Aunt JJ'. Dare I admit, I missed it." she said, trying to make the girl feel better.

It worked, for the moment. Then she looked around the room. "Why...why are you in here?"

Sitting up a bit straighter, she smiled. "I was making my rounds before bed. I heard you dreaming." then her brows furrowed slightly. "Do you dream every night?"

Her head shaking back and forth, she shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Is it because you're here?" she asked, solemnly wanting to know.

"I don't know." she admitted freely.

She looked as if she was expecting to be scolded for not knowing. Softening her gaze, she smiled, leaned forward before the kid could react, and kissed her forehead. Sitting back, she stood gently. "Well, you let me know if you need anything. And try to sleep tight. No more nightmares, okay?"

Unable to stop the smile, she nodded. "I'll try." she said gently. Then her expression was clouded.

"What is it, sweetie?"

Shaking her head, she looked up. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What on Earth for?"

Staring at her, she wondered if she was serious. "For taking care of me. For being stuck with a teenager with issues. For the expenses I'm causing just by being here."

Her heart crying out for this child, who took on so much responsibility for herself, her head shook as she sat back down beside her on the bed. "No, Rocky. You've been an absolute blessing to this house. You may be a teenager with issues, but don't forget, your mom was once too. Right along with me. I wouldn't trade it for anything. And as far as expenses goes, don't you worry about that. Parenting isn't about money. When you become a mom, it becomes apparent that it's about the love given and received, not the money. Money is just one of those things. But it's not the only thing by any stretch." and she leaned in and reached out softly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Besides, a teenager, as it were, should be worrying about getting their driver's license and the school dance. Not how much money they're costing someone else."

Not stopping the tear that loosed down her cheek, she took a breath. "Why weren't you, my mom?" But as soon as the question was asked, she covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head.

"Don't. Before you even start...don't. It's okay."

"No it's not." she whispered.

Jennifer nodded. "Yes it is. Your mom loved you. Even when she forgot it herself, which by the looks of it...happened often. But it's still okay."

"I shouldn't have said that."

"Never be ashamed of how you feel. You've been dealt a bad hand, kid. But this is different. I am different, and so is my husband. So don't feel bad. It's okay to feel how you feel no matter whether or not you're here, at school, on the subway, anywhere."

She stared for a long moment before closing her eyes in a long blink. Unable to stifle the yawn, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

Taking the cue, she stood up once more and patted the girl on her leg. "I'll let you get back to sleep. You let me know if you need anything, alright?"

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from wincing when the woman touched her injured calf.

"Good-night, Rocky."

Taking in a silent breath so Jennifer wouldn't hear her, she breathed a short "Nite." in reply and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Please...please feel free to review! I like to know if you guys think I'm doing a good job or not! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ya'll I am so sorry about the insanity with my updates. Keep hanging on. Than you so much for the continued reviews, follows and favorites! Here it is! Hope I do good with Texas Farkle. PLEASE let me know what you think.**

 **Don't own anything outside of my idea. Without further ado...**

* * *

She was moaning in her sleep. "Rocky?" Farkle stepped closer, shaking her shoulder. "Rocky? Wake up. It's time to get ready for school."

Sitting straight up, she stared at him. Biting her lip, she stopped from crying out in pain again.

"Rocky?"

"I'm...okay."

"No, you're not."

"I told you I was fine. It'll be okay. You'll see. By this afternoon...I'll be much better this afternoon."

He studied her carefully before finally nodding. "I don't like this. If you're not better after school, I'm telling my parents. It needs to be looked at if it's that bad."

"It's not. I told you, it'll be fine."

As the day progressed, she seemed to get better outside of the fact that she just looked like she didn't feel well. It seemed, though, as if the pain was all gone. She agreed to go to Topanga's with the group, actually seeming to enjoy the conversation going on around her.

Lucas noticed how Farkle moved around her. Like she was a China Doll that he was afraid of breaking. He acted fine, but he was constantly watching her.

"I know. How about everyone come to my place tomorrow after school. We'll do a study hall. Rocky needs to see one!"

"Hey, yeah! I like that idea! Let's do it!" Riley piped up.

Everyone else seemed on board with it as well, so they made plans to catch the subway the next day. Making their own ways home, Farkle walked beside her, almost protectively.

Turning, while waiting for the subway train, she let her breath out slowly. "I'm okay, Farkie." she said softly.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Then he smiled. Dare he admit, he'd missed her calling him that. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he squeezed gently, being careful of her side. "I know you are, Vee Vee. I just want to make sure you stay that way."

"It's kind of nice." she admitted as they boarded the car, holding on to the middle rails.

"What's that?"

"Being looked after? It's not something I'm used to. Your mom woke me up from a nightmare last night, and I didn't know how to talk to her. It's been so long." the last part being just slightly above a whisper.

"She's just a mom."

"My mom was hardly just a mom. She didn't even want to be a mom. At least not to me." She hadn't even paid attention to the fact that they were already almost to their stop. She shrugged. "Maybe it's just me."

"I don't believe that."

"Are you sure?"

Tilting her chin up toward his so he could make eye contact, he kissed the tip of her nose. "I'm sure."

* * *

She was surprised when she woke up the next morning, and hadn't had a nightmare, nor had she seemed to be in pain at all.

Making her way out into the kitchen, she noticed she was a little tender, but not really bad. Sitting, she stared in awe at the woman making her meal.

Putting the plate down, she watched the girl's look of utter uncertainty. "Are you still a fan of pancakes?"

All ease ran from her body and an emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on made its way to the forefront. Clearing her throat to keep a tear from falling she nodded lightly.

"Are you alright?" Jennifer asked.

Sitting up straighter, she nodded. "I...I um…" and she struggled to find words. These people were going to think she was nuts. "I don't...remember, the last time I had pancakes."

"Oh, baby." And she walked around, putting her arm around the girl's shoulder and hugging her to, lightly as to not freak her out and send her running. "It's okay. They're probably not going to be as good as you remember." She added, trying to keep the mood light.

Farkle stared in awe as he watched the exchange take place before him. Poor Rocky. All she'd ever wanted was to be loved. To have people remember things about her. To know that it was okay and that someone cared.

The pancakes were incredible, though admittedly the entire exchange put her in an odd mood all day. While one of the things she'd wanted pretty much her whole life, was actually happening, she was so used to being put down for it, she was almost afraid for the other shoe to drop. Little did she know, it was about to.

* * *

Sliding in beside her that afternoon, Maya nudged her with her shoulder. "You alright? You been kinda quiet today."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, not really voicing her thoughts. The subway ride seemed to take longer than normal and it didn't help that just before their stop, the brakes were put on.

A voice boomed on the intercom that there was some type of breakdown and they were going to have someone there to fix it as soon as possible, to be patient. So everyone started laughing, trying to pass the time as well as possible.

It was about thirty minutes later when a few guys made an appearance from a car ahead of them. Lucas noticed Farkle's expression turn serious as he moved quickly to stand in front of Rocky.

Somehow, he knew by the look on her face, that these were the kids that had assaulted her, two days before.

"Rocky?"

"I'm okay."

Lucas stepped closer, grabbing both Riley and Maya, putting them behind him. They'd seen him take a protective stance and go into "Texas Lucas" mode. But none of them had _ever_ seen Farkle go into "Texas" mode. He almost wished Zay and Smackle had rode with them instead of stopping at the ice cream shop with a promise to meet up in a few moments. Not that he wanted Smackle mixed into the situation, but Zay was definitely able to hold his own and would make the fight a little more fair.

"Got your little posse with you today, huh, girl?"

Standing up, she found she was unable to step forward. Farkle had stood his ground and was not about to let these guys do anything to her again. Without looking, he knew Lucas was standing there beside him, just as ready to pounce.

"Well looky here, boys. Seems part of her posse, are standing up for her."

"Isn't that cute?" One of them spouted.

"What do you want with her?" Farkle gritted through his teeth.

"Funny you should ask." And an arm flashed out.

Happening in slow motion, someone lunged first and suddenly the six male participants were entangled. Surprisingly, the two younger ones were making strides but one kid had Farkle in a headlock and another came up with his fist.

Not able to stop, she launched herself at the crowd of boys and remembered being thrown to the ground after feeling a sharp jab to her ribs, before things started to blur. She heard shouts and screams, she heard someone say "There's blood." and Riley and Maya trying to help her, moving her body from group.

Blinking, she could see, Lucas, she believed, throw an uppercut to one guy, then punch another in the stomach, then Farkle pushed with all of his might, pinning one guy behind the other, in his grasp and heard a crunch before all of them started retreating into the car behind them. Not stopping, he started after the guys until he realized his friend was on the ground beside him, turned and dropped to his knees beside her.

"Vee Vee?" She looked disoriented. Rolling her to her side, he noticed the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes closed and opened slowly. Her breath rattled in her chest as she wheezed. "Farkie…" she whispered. She started to get up.

"No. Stay still." Then looking up at Lucas, he gestured toward the door. "Go up to the front car, tell the conductor we need an ambulance and find out how long it's going to take to get us moving again."

Nodding, he took off without a word.

Looking back down at her, her eyes had closed and he noticed blood seeping from her nose as well. Glancing up, he cleared his throat. "Maya, give me your coat."

Handing it down to him, he grabbed it and fluffed it up, putting it under her head. "Stay with me, Vee Vee. Help is coming."

Opening her mouth to respond, he could hear the air-flow being constricted. "Hurts." she got out in a pained whisper.

"What hurts?"

"My...side…"

He could tell she was fading. Looking for anything that he could use to get her to stay there, he asked her, "Hey...why don't you tell me something I don't know about Chicago."

Her brows knitted together as she tried to comprehend what he was asking.

"Did you ever go see Lake Michigan?"

Her lids drifted closed.

"Open your eyes, Vee Vee. I need to you to stay with me."

Opening them once more, she stared at him. She swallowed hard. What was happening to her? Why was he staring so intently and why was she laying on her side? What had he just asked her? Lake Michigan. "I spent a lot of time...at the beach." and her eyes closed again. "Thought about...disappearing into the depths a few times."

That damn near killed him to hear her say. "Hey," and he reached up tucking her hair behind her ear. "No going into those depths now, okay?"

"I'm tired."

"I know you are. But you have to hang on for me. Do it for my parents."

Maya and Riley watched helplessly as he tried to keep her from losing consciousness. "Farkle?"

He was shaking with anger. "I'm going to kill them guys if I ever see them again." and he looked down at his friend. "I should have told my mom."

"Should have told your mom what?" Riley asked.

"When she was attacked two days ago. But she begged me not to."

Lucas showed up. "They've called and there will be an ambulance waiting at the next stop. They should be up and running literally any time now." and he gripped on as the train started moving. "How is she?"

He shook his head back and forth. "She's not good." and he noticed that Maya's jacket was now being soaked a deep crimson. "Hey, Rocky, why don't you tell me about…" he was grasping at straws.

Riley popped in. "What was your favorite part about Chicago?" she asked, trying now to get her talking.

Her eyes closed though. It was too hard to hang onto the now, or even the past as they tried to ask her question after question. Farkle didn't want to shake her because he knew that she was in bad shape, but he wanted to rouse her somehow. Though at the moment, there was nothing he could do.

Leaning down he whispered in her ear. "Hang on for me, Vee Vee. I just got you back. I'm not ready to let you go, yet."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Loving the reviews! Keep them up! It keeps me going! :)  
**

 **Don't own anything, just my imagination!**

* * *

 _Blinking she stood there, watching all of these people around her. She could hear everything they were all saying. "We need to stabilize her." - "Blood pressure bottoming out." - "We have to stop the bleeding." - "Lungs reinflated. We can move her now." - "Tell them we don't know where the bleeding is originating." - "We've got to keep her from going into shock. Let's move!"_

 _Then she heard Farkle. Still full of emotion._

" _Son, what happened?" came the voice. She looked and realized it was a cop._

" _She was jumped." None of them had ever heard or seen that much anger emanating from their friend. He was in defensive mode, major, and it was all completely new territory for all of them._

" _Do you know who did it?"_

 _He shook his head, still seeing nothing but red. "They got off the subway when it stopped. When I find them…"_

" _I need you to keep a level head, now. Your parents will be here soon and I don't want to have to arrest you for threatening bodily harm to someone."_

 _Looking up, he didn't respond one way or another, though admittedly, the comment did stop his current vocal path. She saw Lucas move himself beside Farkle. Turning he looked beside him and noticed Riley and Maya talking to themselves._

 _Putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, he could feel the unleashed anger. It was almost scary how much he understood the tension for what it actually was. "Farkle, you need to calm down. You're not going to do her any good. She's going to feel the rage rolling off of you, unconscious or not. Trust me."_

 _Meeting the eyes of his friend, he glared for a moment before something clicked and he slowly nodded. "You're right." and he made his way to his parents who were now coming down the steps._

 _Trying to follow, she felt herself being pulled back to where her body was, in the back of an ambulance, almost to the hospital. Standing in the back of the vehicle, she watched and listened to the two EMT's working on her, yelling to the one up front who was driving._

" _We're losing her!"_

" _Not today we're not!" the female of the bunch responded. "Tell them she's going into shock. Get me the paddles!" she yelled, refusing to give up on the kid. Closing her eyes again, it went dark as she felt the jolt of electricity run through her body, again and again._

* * *

Watching her son, pacing inside the waiting room, she stepped up to him. Reaching out softly, she put her hand on his face, turning his head so their eyes met. "What happened?"

His brows furrowed. He was going to get into so much trouble for this. Letting his breath out through his nose, he shook his head. "It's all my fault. I should have just told you."

"Told me, what?"

A doctor appeared in the room. "Family for Veronica Lovell?"

"We are." Jennifer stepped forward.

"She's out of surgery. It's going to be touch and go for a little while, but we're hopeful. There was a lot of old bruising and a few old breaks that we found in the x-rays. The bleeding was caused from a pretty recent rib break. It looks like it punctured her lung, causing the issue we're dealing with now. She lost a lot of blood during surgery and we did have to shock her a couple of times to bring her back. Soon as she's in a room, we'll let you back there." and he glanced at the room full of both adults and teenagers and added…"Just not all at once. She's going to be out of it for a while, don't expect much, and we may need you to leave from time to time, but we'll keep you posted every step." and he turned and left.

Turning to look once more at her son, she noticed his gaze on the window toward where the man in the white coat, just walked. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she met his gaze when he looked at her. She could read the statement in his eyes. "That's why she was late the other night, wasn't it? She was attacked, she was assaulted."

Letting his breath out in a rush, he shook his head and leaned into his mom's embrace. "I should have just told you. This is all my fault."

"First off, it's not your fault. Second, why don't you tell me what happened? Start with the night she said she got lost."

Sighing heavily, he dropped into the chair. "When I followed her to talk to her, I opened the door after knocking and she was holding her shirt up. Her whole side was black and blue. She finally admitted to me that she'd been jumped by about four different guys. Her side, hip and leg were hurt is what she told me. They'd hit her in the back of her head."

Still holding her son, she met his eyes. "Yes, you should have told me." then she studied him. "What else has been going on that I don't know about?"

Hesitating, he closed his eyes. "She's been having nightmares every night."

Letting her breath out through her nose, she sat beside her son. "What else?"

"She's scared, mom. All the time. She makes excuses for everyone so that no one will get into trouble. The other day when she left on the train, she didn't get lost. She was unconscious on the train, until it literally made it's way all the way back to where she originally was."

"Then why did she…"

"She made me promise not to tell anyone. She swore she'd been beat worse than that and that it would be better in a couple of days. I think she thought she would get me in trouble if you found out the truth." Hanging his head and letting his breath out, his locks moved back and forth. "She's so used to dealing with things on her own, she doesn't know how to let someone else help. She's so alone, mom. Always. Alone."

Everyone could tell what this was doing to him but there was nothing anyone could do until they knew something about the girl laying in the hospital bed. The nurse stepped in.

"She's in a room."

Making his way, with his mom, he stepped into the room and froze in place.

The nurse mentioned that she was was on a respirator until she could breathe better on her own, and that she would be on IV fluids as well as meds for a little while. He barely heard any of it as his anger boiled in him. On the verge of screaming, he turned and walked out of the room, down the hall and past the waiting room.

Lucas looked up as he made his way toward them, and he saw the look on his best friend's face. "Riley…"

She'd seen it too. "Go."

Maya woke up. "What's going on?"

Standing up, before following, he turned. "Farkle's on a mission."

Sitting up, she shook her head. "Why is Ranger Rick going?"

Smackle sat forward. "I've never seen him this angry before." and she looked at her significant other.

Nodding, Zay stood himself. Bending in, he kissed her lips ever so lightly. "I'll let you know when I know something." and disappeared out the door, leaving all the girls to hope and pray that they talked him down in time.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! No excuses just straight chaos has stopped my posting from being consistent. Without further ado...**

 **Don't own anything.**

* * *

He couldn't hear anything except his shoes on the pavement. It had been raining apparently. He was just walking. Looking. Searching for … what was he searching for?

Something caught his eye and his brain instantly went back to his friend. Staring blindly at the kid who looked damn near like the one he cold cocked, he realized exactly what he was searching for.

Lucas walked up to him.

"Leave me alone."

"I can't. You're my best friend. What kind of friend would I be if I knew you were out here doing God knows what and to who?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." Zay said, very matter of fact.

"You weren't even there!" he said, almost shouting in his friend's face. He stopped. His anger was misplaced. "I'm...I'm sorry." and he turned and started making his way back toward the direction he'd been going.

"So…" he started out, "Where are we going then?"

He shrugged and didn't answer.

Taking a deep breath Lucas cleared his throat. "You're going after them, aren't you?"

"After who?"

"The guys who attacked Rocky."

Shaking his head, Zay took a step closer. "Come on man, you don't even know what shape they're in."

"They're about to be in worse shape." Farkle gritted through his teeth.

They walked around in silence for almost twenty minutes before the pace picked up. Lucas and Zay both noticed it, then looked up and saw the reason for it. The four older guys were sitting together, at a table outside of a diner.

"Farkle?" and he stopped, noticing that he wasn't going to quit. "Farkle wait, you don't want to do this."

But he didn't hear him. He didn't stop. All he could see was Rocky, laying in the hospital bed. All he could hear, was that first night she woke up with a nightmare, " _Did I used to call you Farkie?"_

"Farkle...come on, man." Zay tried.

But all they could do was watch him, head for whatever course he was going for. "Farkle?"

"Hey!" came a shout that neither one of them had ever heard from their friend. Both looking at each other as if to ask who in the world had inhabited their buddy. Then he continued. "Nah, don't you get up. We need to have a conversation about earlier."

Looking up and seeing the kid from earlier as well as the two guys behind him, one the blond they'd seen from earlier, the other a darker skinned kid that they hadn't, the one guy shook his head. "Look, can we not do this today?"

"Can we not do this today?" Farkle repeated sarcastically. "No. You know what we're not doing today? We're not doing the bad guy gets away with attempted murder. That's what we're not doing today."

"What do you mean?" the one kid said, getting up from the table.

"Oh no. Please...have a seat." he said, pushing the table toward the chair where the guy was getting up. "All of you, keep your seats. I want you to know what it feels like to have your ribs crushed. To know what it's like to not be able to breathe even though you want to desperately. I want you to know…"

"What's going on here?" a loud male voice boomed.

Turning, the brunette stared into the eyes of a police officer and his partner.

"I recognize you. Didn't I see you earlier in the subway? Your friend...how is she doing?"

Not really answering, he looked back at the four at the table. Not expecting it, the officer cleared his throat.

"Son, are these the guys that jumped you today?"

Not even aware he was doing it, his head bobbed up and down.

Suddenly guns were pulled, and before anyone realized it, all four guys were being arrested and put in the back of the cop cars as they had since called for back-up.

Still not even sure it was all over, he stared after the car that pulled away. Looking up at the officer before he left, he shook his hand. "You've got some good friends, son. I'm glad that you didn't do anything you would regret. Now get back to your friend. She needs you."

Realization hit, and everything clicked. His eyes met Lucas and Zay standing there, waiting for everything to calm down. They had called the police when he'd found them.

His phone buzzed. Grabbing it out of his pocket, he read the text from his mom. "She's asking for you. Where are you?"

* * *

Making his way into the hospital, his friends in tow, he made it to her room and didn't even knock. His mom was sitting beside her bed.

Her head turned to meet his gaze. "Where have you been, young man?"

Shaking his head, he stood beside her. "I had to take care of something." he said softly. His voice sounded odd, even to himself. "How is she?" he asked.

"They removed the respirator about half an hour ago. She just has the nasal cannula for help. She woke up for a few minutes, asked for you, then fell back asleep. That's when I text you."

Nodding, he grabbed the other chair in there, sitting down on the other side of the bed. Reaching out to take her hand, he noticed his hands shaking.

"Farkle, where were you, honey?"

Not taking his eyes off of his friend, he sat forward. "I found the guys that did this to her."

"No, Farkle, why?"

"They needed to be dealt with."

"What happened?"

He took a deep breath in. "Lucas and Zay called the cops and they were arrested. Don't worry, mom. I didn't do anything to them."

She studied her son. "Would you have?"

He didn't answer.

"I'm worried about you."

"I couldn't protect her. After everything she's been through, I should have protected her."

"Farkle...do you think this is your fault?"

His head shook back and forth, but she honestly didn't know if he was saying that he didn't think it was his fault, or if he just couldn't answer at the time.

Standing, she made her way over to the other side of the bed. Kissing the top of his head, she squeezed his shoulders. "Don't go anywhere, okay? You worried me." and she made her way out of the room.

Reaching up, he brushed the hair from the top of his friend's forehead. "Hey, Vee Vee. I'm here now. I'm sorry I wasn't before. I had something I needed to take care of."

Hearing her inhale, he looked back at her face and noticed her eyes starting to open. "Farkie."

Smiling, he stood up. "Hey. I'm here."

Settling down, she nodded. "What...happened?"

"We got jumped."

Trying to sit, she fought through the fog.

"Take it easy."

"My...my bag."

"What?"

"My bag. I...I need my bag."

She was getting upset. "Hang on. Let me try and get it for you."

Laying back, she watched him rummage through the cabinet with all of her personal effects. Seeing him grab it and walk it over to her, she was still anxious. She would be, until she could lay her hands on it.

"Okay here you go."

It took everything out of her to dig into it. Unable to find it she remembered she'd put it in the front pouch after the first time she'd been attacked. Farkle had watched her fervor to get to whatever she was looking for, but she was already weak. And after a few moments, she couldn't stop the frustration from running down her face.

Leaning forward once more, he took her hand gently. "I'll get it. You're alright. I've got you."

"No one's got me." she whispered.

Hurt panging in his chest, he smiled sincerely. "I do." and he leaned forward. "What are you looking for?"

Closing her eyes, she opened them, barely above a whisper. "It's in the front pocket. It...it's a ring." she said, resigning herself to the fact that he was going to find out. Laying back, she cleared her throat.

Digging, he pulled out something oddly familiar. Something he hadn't seen in ages and didn't think had even survived all this time.

It had a plastic stone and was something he'd given her, at one of the several times they'd gone to the movies, out of one of the machines. Seeing her take a deep breath that it was okay and safe, he leaned back in the chair. Staring at it in awe, he held it as if it would break in an instant. It was nothing more than...plastic. "I...can't believe you still have this thing."

Half shrugging, she laid back and closed her eyes. "You told me...it would protect me…"

She'd kept it this whole time? A stupid ring that had cost him the same amount as the movie itself and swallowed her hand at the time. Clearly worn and a bit worse for wear, but she'd kept it. And all because he told her that it would protect her. She'd put faith in him. Faith in something he'd said long ago. Looking at her now, he vowed he was never going to let her down again.

Looking at her slight figure, now asleep again, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I promise, Vee Vee. I will make sure that you are always protected, from here on out."


End file.
